This invention relates to aircraft cargo handling and more particularly to a cargo ramp configured to be easily carried on board an aircraft and deployable therefrom for the loading of a variety of cargo including relatively large vehicles and cargo of a more general nature, particularly cargo packed on pallets.
The use of aircraft to transport cargo has grown dramatically throughout the past decade or so and a variety of aircraft are now commercially available that are specifically configured for cargo handling. One of the problems with such cargo aircraft has been associated equipment for loading and unloading the cargo. Although satisfactory ground based cargo handling equipment is often available at the larger modern airports, such aircraft are often utilized to carry cargo into airports lacking such equipment. Accordingly, several attempts have been made within the prior art to provide a cargo loading and unloading system that is carried on board the aircraft.
Generally, prior art systems for the loading and unloading of cargo have included ramp structure that is either stowed within the aircraft or ramp structure that forms a portion of the aircraft fuselage during periods of nonuse. The prior art cargo ramps have not proven totally satisfactory, however, since no single prior art cargo ramp has simultaneously provided the many desired features. For example, such a cargo ramp should be of minimum weight and occupy minimum space when stowed within the aircraft so as to maximize the cargo carrying capacity of the aircraft. Secondly, an onboard cargo ramp should be easily and rapidly deployable from the aircraft (and stowable therein) to minimize the time and effort required to load and unload the cargo. In addition, such a cargo ramp should be capable of handling a variety of cargo including relatively large vehicles such as trucks and military armored vehicles, cargo packed in large containers and cargo packed on pallets of various dimensions.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a cargo ramp that can be carried on board an aircraft being readily deployable and stowable to facilitate the loading and unloading of a variety of differently configured cargo.
It is an associated object of this invention to provide a light weight cargo ramp that can be stowed in a reasonably small region of the cargo compartment of an aircraft and easily deployed for the loading and unloading of cargo.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an on board cargo loading ramp that can be rapidly deployed from a cargo aircraft and rapidly and easily adapted to facilitate various types of cargo including self powered vehicles and cargo mounted on various sized cargo pallets.